I agree! I had a Great Dane as a child and my dad refused to crop his ears. (We got him as a pup) At the time I didnt understand. Now I do and it just makes me respect and love my Pops even more! Plus, I think our "Butkus" was more adorable with them NOT cropped. (Yes he named him after Rocky Balboa's Butkus in the movie Rocky. ;) We're Italian. lol)

Yes, it is, unfortunately.

It was done for dog fighting, so that they don't rip the ears off in a fight, being an easy target., Now, most of all it is done for looks. Because people are so vain and stupid that would hurt a dog just so they can be in the standards.

Some floppy-eared breeds (I know its common in certain mastiff-type dogs for example) have a tendency to get blood clots in their ears. Often if they have have t be removed more than once the vet will recommend cropping their ears. So yes, ear-cropping is sometimes done for medical reasons as well. I just think its important to keep in mind not to make snap judgements when we see a dog that has been altered, you can't know the dogs history just from looking.

To be fair there are medical reason for docking tails on dogs who have skinny tails. The vet told me that for dogs with whip-like tails with little muscle or fat protecting the bone it is a good idea to prevent future fractures and lacerations from hitting things with their tails. Ears have no excuse though.